September 17

Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. - Matthew 6:34.

PEOPLE are often very anxious about things which they never realize; but death, personal or relative, their own death, or the deaths of others, have shown them the vanity of these apprehensions. Some have dreaded a public calamity; but they were taken away from the evil to come, like Noah’s father, a year before the flood. They have been distressed, because they had little or no provision made for old age; but they died before the evil day came. They were concerned because they had not laid up enough for their children; and their dear children only required of them the expenses of their burial. Ah, “take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.” All our inquiries concerning the days to come are vain; yea, and these inquiries are improper, for the Saviour says, “It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” No, they are wisely and kindly concealed from us. Three conclusions are derivable from this. The first is, That we should commit ourselves to God by prayer, that we may be prepared for all our future days, whatever may be their complexion.

Secondly, That we should beware of presumption, and say, “The Lord shall choose mine inheritance for me.” “Go to, now, ye that say, today or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.”

Thirdly, We should equally guard against despondency; for, though we know not what our future days may be, we know that nothing they contain in them will happen by chance. One thing we know:-that “all the ways of the Lord” towards us will be “mercy and truth.” One thing we know:-that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” And, therefore, this should ease us of a burden too heavy for us to bear; and we should “be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”